rtucker55
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Equator D5 Near field monitors
If you have ever thought about purchasing a set of these you should do it before Mar 1st as the price is going up from $299.00 to $399.00. I have a set and they really are a great small monitor with an amassing stereo image. I have already purchased another set and expect them Friday. Details can be found here: http://www.equatoraudio.com/D5_Studio_Monitors_with_DSP_p/d5.htm Just wanted to spread the news. Kind regards, Rick
Purrrfect Audio DAW here. Wow!...
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sven450
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Re:Equator D5 Near field monitors
2013/02/27 19:16:30
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Funny: I'm in the market for a cheap-ish set of monitors to replace my now busted Alesis Mk2s, and after reading a bunch of reviews of the D5 on a bunch of sites, I feel like I have to buy them. Like, if I don't buy them RIGHT NOW, I'm a total idiot.
So thanks for that. When my wife asks me where my $300 went, can I just have her ask you?
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rtucker55
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Re:Equator D5 Near field monitors
2013/02/27 19:30:03
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Hi sven450, Tell your wife that it was a guy on the forums fault! I'm probably far enough away that I will be safe.  Seriously, I really noticed a difference when I listened to these monitors for the first time. It was the first time I had ever heard that type of stereo image and it was coming from a very small set of monitors. I am not using a sub so at first I tended to mix a little bass heavy but after spending many hours with these I was able to get that corrected. I don't think you will find anything else in that price range that sound that good. Best of luck to you my friend. P.S. tell the wife I said Hi!  Kind regards, Rick
Purrrfect Audio DAW here. Wow!...
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Rimshot
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Re:Equator D5 Near field monitors
2013/03/01 09:45:19
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I have owned a pair of D5's for almost a year now. I love 'em. I have rigged up a small sub to work with them to give just a taste of low end around 40-50 hz.
You will need to give them plenty of time to break in. They will seem brittle at first but when they break in, the bass response increases and the highs smooth out. The are wonderful mix reference monitors.
Rimshot
Rimshot Sonar Platinum 64 (Lifer), Studio One V3.5, Notion 6, Steinberg UR44, Zoom R24, Purrrfect Audio Pro Studio DAW (Case: Silent Mid Tower, Power Supply: 600w quiet, Haswell CPU: i7 4790k @ 4.4GHz (8 threads), RAM: 16GB DDR3/1600 , OS drive: 1TB HD, Audio drive: 1TB HD), Windows 10 x64 Anniversary, Equator D5 monitors, Faderport, FP8, Akai MPK261
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sven450
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Re:Equator D5 Near field monitors
2013/03/01 13:45:11
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Rimshot
I have owned a pair of D5's for almost a year now. I love 'em. I have rigged up a small sub to work with them to give just a taste of low end around 40-50 hz.
You will need to give them plenty of time to break in. They will seem brittle at first but when they break in, the bass response increases and the highs smooth out. The are wonderful mix reference monitors.
Rimshot
I took the plunge--I couldn't resist all the hype--and they should be arriving soon. For break in, do you just play music on them for hours? Pink noise? rock out to Zeppelin? How long is long enough?
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Living Room Rocker
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Re:Equator D5 Near field monitors
2013/03/01 22:23:38
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You know, some say that burning is not necessary. I would suggest asking Ted (Equator) for the specifics on the D5s. I just bought a set myself and it is one of the best buys I have made. (Not sure because had I bought a Focusrite Saffire Pro 24 DSP for $240.) Nonetheless, I am digging the D5s a lot. I did give them a about 5-6 hours of "burn-in" with both music (not sure, but more than and hour) and pink noise (for 4hrs). Some say burn-in for 7-8 hours, others 40, 70 and 80 with music and some say noise (white and/or pink). Either way, they will get there over a short time of regular use. I am going to guess that Equator says that braking in is not required. But I am curious myself so I will throught them a line. Kind regards, Living Room Rocker
post edited by Living Room Rocker - 2013/03/01 22:31:28
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Rimshot
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Re:Equator D5 Near field monitors
2013/03/02 19:59:39
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sven450
Rimshot
I have owned a pair of D5's for almost a year now. I love 'em. I have rigged up a small sub to work with them to give just a taste of low end around 40-50 hz.
You will need to give them plenty of time to break in. They will seem brittle at first but when they break in, the bass response increases and the highs smooth out. The are wonderful mix reference monitors.
Rimshot
I took the plunge--I couldn't resist all the hype--and they should be arriving soon. For break in, do you just play music on them for hours? Pink noise? rock out to Zeppelin? How long is long enough?
I used pink noise for about 24 hours at medium - low level. Then, I would play internet radio music constantly for about 8 hours. After using the monitors for about 2 weeks, they really settled in. You'll see. Just go with it for a while.
Rimshot
I used pink noise for about 24 hours at medium - low level. Then, I would play internet radio music constantly for about 8 hours. After using the monitors for about 2 weeks, they really settled in. You'll see. Just go with it for a while.
Rimshot
post edited by Rimshot - 2013/03/03 09:41:56
Rimshot Sonar Platinum 64 (Lifer), Studio One V3.5, Notion 6, Steinberg UR44, Zoom R24, Purrrfect Audio Pro Studio DAW (Case: Silent Mid Tower, Power Supply: 600w quiet, Haswell CPU: i7 4790k @ 4.4GHz (8 threads), RAM: 16GB DDR3/1600 , OS drive: 1TB HD, Audio drive: 1TB HD), Windows 10 x64 Anniversary, Equator D5 monitors, Faderport, FP8, Akai MPK261
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sven450
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Re:Equator D5 Near field monitors
2013/03/03 08:55:55
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Thanks all. Every review I read mentioned that on these particular speakers burn in makes a noticeable difference. I'll be sure to report back when all is done.
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gustabo
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Re:Equator D5 Near field monitors
2013/03/03 09:09:06
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When I purchased my Adam A7X's, I played a Marcus Miller cd for 24 hours at medium-low volume.
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M-Audio Keystation 88ES - Akai MPD26 (hot-rodded) - Alesis DM10 - a few guitars, a few amps
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sven450
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Re:Equator D5 Near field monitors
2013/03/11 13:38:09
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Just to follow up: Had the D5s for a bit now, and my main lessons are as follows
1. A little break in goes a long way! When I first hooked them up they sounded so bad I thought I had somehow miswired them or something. Extreme brittleness, serious and immediate ear fatigue and general crappiness. I intermittently played pink noise and internet radio and medium-loud volume for several days in a row. HUGE difference. Now they sound much more balanced and "round".
2. They are very unforgiving (in a good way). If it sounds bad, you will know it immediatly. There is no leeway, no glossing over trouble spots. They seem very, very accurate in the midrange and as a result a lot of warts are showing up in mixes I originally thought were "OK".
3. They do not have much in the way of low end. This is taking me a while to get used to, but playing commercial CDs a bunch and listening to what they offer is beginning to help. I may end up with a small sub to hear the umphh I am missing. Despite the lack of low end, I really like the overall balance. I just need more time to really get accumstomed to their sound.
That's all! For $300 I cannot imagine a better set of monitors. Huge improvement over the Alesis MKIIs that I had (I realize that is not saying much). Anyway, hope someone finds this helpful.
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Kalle Rantaaho
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Re:Equator D5 Near field monitors
2013/03/13 12:43:25
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I really wish my hobby budget wasn't at 0 at the moment. These speakers have really aroused my curiosity. Addition: I've read two comments by finnish users (which I think is much, because there can't be that many in Finland yet) concerning manufacturing flaws of the Equators: The suspension of the central cone/loudspeaker has been loose, causing loud "farting".
post edited by Kalle Rantaaho - 2013/03/16 05:50:06
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